Society of Friends
Learn about the latest findings from science and research at our events and support our wide-ranging projects. As a member of the Society of Friends, you will enjoy numerous benefits while getting involved in Academy life. As a non-profit organisation, the Society of Friends has supported numerous projects at the BAdW since 1950. It also funds two science prizes – one for the promotion of young talent and the other aimed at attracting the next generation of young researchers.
Membership
The annual fees are as follows:
- Students and doctoral candidates €35
- Individual members €75
- Companies and corporate bodies €250
- The fees are tax-deductible.
Members receive:
- Invitations to all Academy events, including the ceremonial annual meeting
- Three issues of the “Akademie Aktuell” magazine per year with themed reporting on current developments in science and research
- Free guided tours of the Academy and its institutes
- Invitations to special Society of Friends events, e.g. lectures, receptions and excursions
- The Academy Annual
You can subscribe to the “Akademie Aktuell” magazine and the annual as a print edition or as an e-paper.
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee of the Society of Friends is composed of the Chairperson and five other members.
Chairperson:
Prof. Dr. York-Gothart Mix
Comparatist and professor emeritus at the University of Marburg
Deputy Chairperson:
Prof. Dr. Markus Schwaiger
Nuclear medicine specialist and President of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities
Committee Members:
Dr. Christian Eichner
Lawyer and partner in the corporate practice of Allen & Overy LLP, Düsseldorf and specialist in German studies
Dr. Christiane Raabe
Historian and director of the International Youth Library, Munich
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich L. Rohde
Entrepreneur and professor of electrical engineering at the University of Florida, Gainesville / Munich
Dr. Joachim Schervier, Schatzmeister
Lawyer and notary (ret.), Munich
Contact
Petra Büscher
Alfons-Goppel-Str. 11
80539 München
Tel. 089/760 54 32
petra.buescher[at]badw.de
GdF[at]badw.de
Bavarian Schools Prize for Science Week
Fact or Fake: Information or disinformation in digital media
When schoolchildren can no longer distinguish between fact and fake, they risk feelings of exclusion, losing touch with reality, the erosion of trust and social polarisation. The problem has many different facets. It begins with the denial of rational findings, historical facts or empirically established data and gives rise to hostility towards science, conspiracy theories and social, cultural and political disorientation.
In a bid to counter this, the BAdW and the bpv teachers' association (Bayerischer Philologenverband) are introducing the Schools Prize, awarded by the Society of Friends of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities. It aims to inspire a critical interdisciplinary approach to this highly topical issue during Science Week at Bavarian schools and get students interested in science and research before their final school examinations. The prize is endowed with awards of 7,500 euros, 5,000 euros and 2,500 euros, with the prize money going to the respective school.
Further information: Bavarian Schools prize for Science Week 2026: Fact or Fake
Supported by global law firm, A&O Shearman
Arnold Sommerfeld Prize
Since 1994, the BAdW has been awarding the Arnold Sommerfeld Prize each year to young scientists in recognition of their outstanding achievements in the natural sciences. The ordinary members of Sections III and IV of the Academy are eligible to submit nominations for the award. The prize is endowed with 4,000 euros and is funded by the Society of Friends.
Prize winners from the previous 5 years:
- 2025 Clemens Schwingshackl (Geosciences)
- 2024 Evelyn Plötz (Chemistry)
- 2023 Leonhard Möckl (Biophysics)
- 2022 Agnieszka Nowak-Król (Chemistry)
- 2021 Jia Chen (Environmental science)
- 2020 Tayebeh Ameri (Materials research)
Further information: Arnold-Sommerfeld-Preis